Jack and the Beanstalk (Canon Tale)
Jack and the Beanstalk is an English fairy tale which often depicts Jack as the roguish hero, who though greedy, is stealing from the brutish Giants to care for his mother and their farm. Although he suffers consequences for his thefts, he is quite clearly the 'hero' of the tale and the Giants are very clearly meant to to be the adversary. To give this tale a unique twist, Once Upon a Nightmare chose to reverse the sympathies of the readers. The Giants are now innocent creatures who enjoy shiny objects and playing in the clouds but who mean no one any harm. Jack, now more of an antihero, chooses to steal the 'toys' from 'children' to sell on the black market to provide for his family...but such thefts will not go unpunished in Ga'leah and neither shall the senseless deaths of the Giants Jack has killed. Canon Tale The Giants were a peaceful race. Born from the Hyadies mountains themselves, they came into the world of great mass and slowly decreased in size as they aged. Given a home in the sky, it was their carefree games that sometimes made the thunder that shook the land. Because they were like children, the giants amassed a great collection of valuables, shiny baubles and magical creatures that drew their attention. Jack was a young man who longed for a better life. So, when a dark figure offered him 'magic beans' that would provide him with riches beyond his imagination, he took them in exchange for his mother's milk cow. Those beans were indeed magic, because from them sprang a beanstalk portal that allowed Jack to enter the cloud-top homes of the Giants in Xehacora. He stole the playthings of the childlike Giants, causing great harm to them and incurring the wrath of not only the other Giants but the gods themselves. Jack continued his trips with aid of the beanstalk, slaying giants without conscience, but he also knew he could not continue to steal for the black market in Xehacora much longer...because terrible storms have begun to batter the countryside near his home, storms that seem to now be following him....hunting him... Characters * Giant - '''One of the childlike creatures Jack is stealing from. * '''Goose - '''A faemiliar and one of the treasured possessions of the Giants, it magically provides Golden Eggs. * '''Harp - '''A cursed fae and one of the treasured possessions of the Giants. * '''Jack - '''A rogue and thief who is responsible for the death of one Giant and has been stealing from them regularly for profit on the black market. * '''Jack's Mother - '''The one who sends Jack to sell the milk cow in the hope of providing for her family. Plotlines Jack and the Beanstalk is a Canon Tale ripe for exploration and interpretation. The aspects of its plot line have yet to be hashed out and many of its characters are available to those who wish to make this tale their own. Related Stories * ''The Pantheon '- The Stormbringer created the Giants as a peaceful race of childlike individuals and gave them a home among the clouds. It is believed that he did not take kindly to the deaths of the Giants and is now hunting Jack with storms.